Mending a Broken Man
by Shacey2359
Summary: Troy left for war when he was 18.  He came back two years later haunted and scared.  His friends and family try to get through to him but it seems only Gabriella Montez has any luck.  She helps mend a broken man.
1. Chapter 1

**So I know I should be working on my other story but I got this idea in class today so I started it! Let me know if I should go on! Enjoy!**

He starred down at the small ant like buildings. His forehead lay against the window and his hot breath fogged the thick glass of the tiny airplane window. He was on his way home, finally. He had mixed feeling about his homecoming. Sure, he was glad to see his family and friends he hadn't seen in years but, he didn't want to burden them with all his problems.

Troy Bolton had been positioned in Afghanistan for two years now, never getting the chance to go home and see his family. While in the war he had experienced many experiences like no normal person could even begin to comprehend. One of his best friends, Jason Cross, was brutally killed in front of his eyes, he saw women and children blown up, elders beat to death, and much more. Troy thought back to those memories and flinched, not wanting to revisit it.

"Sir, we ask that you buckle your seatbelt, we are landing soon." A soft voice said from above him. Troy jerked his head up and saw a petite blonde flight attendant giving him an annoying fake smile. Troy lifted the sides of his lips halfheartedly and buckled his seatbelt. He felt his stomach twist and turn in anticipation of finally seeing his family.

A few moments later the plane landed with a jolt before coming to a complete stop.

"It is now safe to unbuckle your seatbelts. Please exit the plane and head to the baggage claim. We hope you enjoyed your flight, thank you for flying with American Airlines." A monotone voice came from a small speaker above Troy's head. He stood and quickly stretched his legs before exiting the plane and down the ramp. His bag was one of the first to come. Troy grabbed it before slowly limping to Terminal D.

Once he reached his destination a small sign came to view. _Welcome home Troy! We love you!_ Troy felt his eyes well up but he quickly whipped away the view stray tears that had escaped and put on his best fake smile. The first person he saw was his mother. She looked exactly the same she had when he last saw her. Long, auburn locks gently curled around her round face and a bright smile in the middle. She ran to him and took him in her frail arms.

"My baby…" Troy heard her whisper thickly in his shoulder. He held her tightly to him and kissed the top of her head.

"I missed you Ma, so much." He said. Lucille Bolton was his mother's name. She was a beautiful lady with a nice personality and a big heart.

"I missed you too baby, how are you?" she asked putting her hands on both either side of his face. Troy hung his head but looked back at her before she could ask what was wrong.

"I'm alright Ma, I'm alright." He whispered. Lucille must have sensed that he didn't want to talk about it so she pulled away and put her hand on his shoulder.

"Come one honey, everyone's waiting to see you." She said. Troy smiled softly and nodded, following his mother to the small crowd of people. He looked around at the familiar faces, his father and younger sister Lilly, his good friend from high school Chad Danforth and his parents, some guys from his basketball team and their girlfriends, and last but not least, Gabriella Montez, his best friend since he was a kid. His eyes locked with hers and he got lost in her deep brown orbs.

"Troy!" his little sister screamed and hugged him around the waist. Troy smiled and kissed her head softly.

"Hey Lilly Girl, how you been?" Troy asked. Lilly pulled away and smiled up at him, tears streaming down her face.

"So much better now that you're home!" she said. Troy smiled and ruffled her hair. Next he greeted Chad and his parents.

"Hey man, it's nice to have you back." Chad said softly with a small smile. Troy chuckled and gave him a small hug. After he greeted Chad's parents he went through hugs from his team members.

Then, he finally moved to Gabriella who was standing off to the side, her head in her hands and her shoulders shaking slightly. Troy's heart broke when he saw her and he gently took her into his warm embrace. He felt her clutch his uniform and bury her face deeper into his chest.

"Shh Brie, please don't cry. You know I don't like it." Troy mumbled into her long locks. Gabriella instantly pulled away and whipped away her tears. She took a composing breath and smiled up at him.

"I know, I'm sorry Troy I'm just…so happy to have you back." She whispered putting her hand on his cheek. Troy leaned into her palm and put his hand on top of hers. Then he pulled her hand away and gently kissed her fingers.

"How you been Brie, you been staying out of trouble?" he asked into her small fingers, working his way down her hand with soft feathery kisses.

"I've been alright. More importantly, how are you holding up?" she asked starring into his blue irises. Troy pulled her hand to his heart and looked down at her with sad eyes.

"It hurts Brie, it just hurts so much. What I saw was….it was just….I….." Troy broke down into sobs, clutching Gabriella's hand tightly. Troy was trying not to do this; he didn't want his family to see him like this. Before he could pull away Gabriella took him into her arms tightly.

"Shh, Troy, I know. Let it all out, I know it hurts, just let it out." Gabriella whispered soothingly. Troy was surprised when he instantly felt better at her soothing voice. After a moment he pulled away.

"Come on Troy, we're all going back to your house." Gabriella said softly, pushing Troy's hair out of his face. He nodded and grabbed her hand, following her to her car. Troy's parents agreed to let him go with her to his house and kissed him goodbye. The whole ride to his house was filled with comfortable silence, the two young adults holding hands for the whole ride. Once they got to his house they went up to his room and sat on his bed.

"What happened to you Troy?" Gabriella asked once they sat shoulder to shoulder on his bed. Troy looked down at his hands. He really didn't want to tell Gabriella anything, he didn't want her to know about the horrible things he knew.

"Nothing happened, I'm just glad to be home." He whispered. Gabriella pulled his face to her so that he was looking right into his eyes.

"That's bull crap and you know it Troy, what happened to you? I can help you!" she pleaded. Troy just looked at her sadly.

"Brie, just leave it okay? I don't want to tell you." He said between his teeth. Gabriella gaped at him and pulled back slightly.

"Troy, we tell each other everything! I can help you I promise! Just tell me, let me in Troy." Gabriella pleaded. Troy pulled away from her and walked to the door, laying his forehead against the cool wood.

"I said leave it Gabriella." He said sternly. Gabriella gasped slightly. Troy never spoke to her like that and never called her Gabriella.

"Troy please, I want to help you, it kills me to see you like this!" she said standing up. Troy closed his eyes. He didn't know why he was getting so upset with her but just thinking about what happened made him angry inside.

"Leave it alone Gabriella! I said I don't want to talk about it, why do you keep trying to pry on someone else's business?" Troy blew up. Gabriella backed away from him, eyes wide and mouth open. Troy suddenly noticed what he had just done and closed his eyes to compose himself.

"Brie I'm sorry I just…" he trailed off. Gabriella ran her hand through her hair and looked at him.

"No Troy, I was just trying to help you. You didn't need to blow up at me like that. I'll give you some time to think about what you really want then maybe I'll talk to you but for right now…leave me alone!" she said and stormed past him out the door.

"Brie no I just…" Troy trailed off once again. He slammed his fist against the wall and went to his bed sitting down fiercely. It was his first day back and he had already hurt someone, someone that he cared about very dearly. He had to make things up with her, he just had to. He couldn't live without her. She was the one that kept him going in war, every time he felt like giving up her beautiful face would appear in his head. He had to tell her about what happened, she deserved that much.

Troy entered the guest room and saw a small lump under the covers. His heart broke when he saw that it was shaking and he heard muffled tears. He slowly walked over to the bed and sat beside her laying a hand on her back but when he did, she flinched away and he felt tears come to his eyes.

"Brie please, just look at me. I need to see that your okay." He pleaded softly closing his eyes. She sat up slowly, revealing her swollen red eyes and knotted brown hair but to Troy, she looked even more beautiful than she ever did. He pulled her into a hug and put his face in her hair.

"Thank you." He breathed kissing her head. He listened to her sobs lessen and turned her so that she was facing him.

"It all started when Jason died." He said softly. Gabriella's eyes widened…

**Thanks for reading! Should I go on? Reviews!(:**

**-Shay!**


	2. Chapter 2

**So the feedback I got on this was pretty decent so, I wrote another chapter! Enjoy!**

"It all started when Jason died…" Gabriella's eyes widened. He was actually going to tell her. Troy felt Gabriella grab his hand and he squeezed her hand hard.

"We were trying to invade one of the buildings so we could ambush their supplies. Jason went in first and I followed. We found this room full of boxes and sacks, Jason went to take a look around and the next thing I knew there was someone on top of him, tackling him to the floor." Troy's voice cracked and he closed his eyes, trying to stay present for the rest of what he had to say.

"It's okay Troy, I'm right here. What happened next?" Gabriella asked in a soft, soothing voice. Troy squeezed her hand once more and opened his eyes to meet her brown irises. He took a deep breath and continued.

"The man had on white robes and a towel thing over his head. Jason yelled for me to help but I was frozen. The next thing I knew the man pulled out a gun and shot him, in the head. Oh Gabriella there was so much blood, I almost passed out." Troy moved his hands to put them over his tired face, trying to get the images to go away. He felt small hands gently remove them and take them in their own.

"Oh Troy, I'm so sorry. What you went through, no one could ever imagine." Gabriella said softly. She looked down at their intertwined hands and shook her head, her heart hurting for Troy.

"That's not all though, Brie. He shot him three times, in the head, the chest, and the throat. Once he was finished with that he pulled out a knife and stabbed him continuously. I tried to pull him off but he shoved me back into the boxes and I hit my head but before I passed out, the sergeant came in then and tore the man away, that's the only thing I remember. Hearing his cry of pain, it haunts me every day and I know that I could have stopped this guy. Dammit Brie, why didn't I stop him?" Troy cried out. He now had tears streaming down his face full force, dropping onto the bed and his shirt. Gabriella felt her eyes well up and she grabbed Troy, pulling him into her embrace.

"Shh Troy, I know baby, I know. But you have to understand, this wasn't your fault. If you would have tried to help him you might have gotten both of you killed do you understand that? Troy don't blame this on yourself, you did nothing wrong." Gabriella soothed him. Troy didn't want to believe her, it was his fault that his friend was dead, his entire fault.

"You don't understand Gabriella, I could have shot him, I had a gun on me. I just froze and panicked, you can't do that in the army. You have to always be ready, never crumble under pressure and I crumbled Brie! I failed!" Troy stood and punched the wall, his fist going right through but he was too upset to care at the moment. He turned his back to Gabriella, his shoulders heaving with the pain and angriness flowing through his body.

Gabriella sat quietly, giving Troy some time alone. He knew he felt responsible for what happened to his friend but he needed her to understand that it wasn't his fault at all. She went to him and turned him around so that he was facing her.

"Troy look at me, what you had to go through was horrifying and not fair. You should never have had to see that, you're a good man Troy with a big heart and level head. I need you to understand that none of this was your fault. You could have gotten yourself killed if you would have tried to stop him. Things happen for a reason, it was just Jason's time to go. Please don't hold this against yourself; I can't stand to see you like this." Gabriella pleaded with him, brushing the hair out of his face so she could see his sad blue eyes. Troy stared back at her, trying to calm himself. He didn't want to upset her; he wanted her to be happy with him. He felt himself relax a little, knowing that it wasn't his fault. Then, with more force than he intended to, he kissed her lips. It was a hard kiss, showing his emotions and feelings. Gabriella was hesitant at first, they were only friends for right now, but soon gave in and kissed him back, their tears mixing together and their tongues dancing with each other, fighting for dominance. It was Troy who pulled back first.

"Come on Brie, everyone's probably waiting downstairs." He said softly. Gabriella nodded and gave his one last lingering kiss before going to the bathroom to get ready. Troy smiled softly at her retreating figure before lightly jogging to his room. He took a cool shower to cool himself off before putting on a pair of khaki shorts and a button up shirt with brown flip-flops. Once he had combed his hair and put cologne on, he went downstairs to see his family. He was surprised though, when he saw no one there. He found a note of the fridge from his mother and smiled when he read her perfect handwriting. She had put notes in his lunchbox every day when he was a kid and when he got to old for a lunchbox, she would put them in his bookbag.

_Troy,_

_We went to the school, your dad had practice. You and Gabi meet us there when your ready. _

_Love you, _

_Mom_

Troy smiled and turned when he heard footsteps behind him and his breath caught in his throat. Gabriella was standing in the doorway. She had on white mini shorts with a pink tank top and a pair of flats. Her hair was down in loose curls and she wore a dazzling smile on her face.

"Ready?" Troy asked holding out his hand for her. Gabriella smiled and nodded before taking his hand and squeezing it gently. Once they were in the car they put their seatbelts on before their hand immediately found each other again.

"So where are we going?" Gabriella asked nonchalantly as they stopped at a red light.

"To the school, mom said that dad had practice so we're just meeting everyone there." Troy said, running his thumb across her knuckles. Gabriella gave a soft smile and looked down at her phone, typing something. When they got to the school the parking lot was filled with cars. Troy got a confused look on his face and looked over at Gabriella.

"What's going on?" he asked. Gabriella had a look of confusion also on her face.

"I don't know, maybe there's some kind of meeting or something. Come on, let's go check it out." She said eagerly. Troy chuckled and pushed his door open. They met on the sidewalk and took each other's hands, swinging them softly. When they entered they saw that most of the school was dark.

"Let's go to the gym." Troy said. Gabriella nodded and followed him through the gym doors. When they entered it was pitch black.

"What the…" but he was cut off by the lights switching on quickly and a chorus of "WELCOME HOME's" coming from a large crowd of people. Troy starred at the scene in front of him. There were round tables set up everywhere and people stood, clapping for him.

"B-Brie, what's going on?" Troy stuttered. Gabriella smiled and leaned into his side hugging him tight.

"It's a welcome home party for you. We missed you soldier." She said softly. Troy's eyes were still wide as he took in the sight.

"Welcome home honey, we missed you." Troy heard his mother say and he snapped his bead up to the stage. His mother was standing center stage with a microphone and a large smile. Gabriella gently pushed him towards her and they made their way up to the stage as everyone took their seats. When they got to his mother Troy hugged and kissed her before taking the microphone from her.

"Uh, how's every one doing?" Troy asked awkwardly into the microphone. There were a few chuckles and many smiles. Gabriella squeezed his hand, encouraging him to go on.

"I want to thank you all so much for doing this for me. It means a lot. While I was out in Afghanistan, I learned many things," Troy paused and looked out at the crowd before back down to Gabriella who gave a small smile, "It taught me to have respect for myself and other people, to appreciate what you have and not want what you don't, it taught me courage and the drive to want to fight and do good things. There were many times when I just wanted to throw in the towel and come home but, I always remembered that I was fighting for our country. I looked at these people who didn't have what we do and it made me want to change it. Also, wanting to come home and see you all kept me going, I never wanted to leave this earth without seeing everyone of you again, but what kept me going through day and night, was the love of my life and my best friend, Gabriella Montez." Troy finished and looked down and Gabriella who was staring wide eyed at him, her face blushed crimson red. The crowd cheered loudly and stood, giving him a standing ovation.

"R-Really? Y-You love me?" Gabriella asked hesitantly. Troy chuckled and bent down to kiss her forehead softly.

"Of course I do Brie, I always have, always will." He said softly. Gabriella smiled and flung her arms around him, kissing him deeply. A chorus of "awes" came from the crowd causing the couple to pull away. They smiled and Troy gave the mike back to his mother who smiled at them.

"Alright everyone, let's eat!" she said. Everyone chuckled as servants came out with plates of food. Troy and Gabriella walked off the stage to sit with Troy's parents and sister, and Gabriella's mother.

Once they were finished eating everyone came to Troy to say their thanks and goodbyes before leaving.

"Troy!" he heard someone screech and he turned to see the familiar blonde and the rest of his friends coming towards them.

"Hi Shar." Troy laughed and hugged her. He hugged Taylor, Chad, Kelsey, Ryan, and Zeke before pulling Gabriella to his side and kissing the top of her head. The gang caught up before Gabriella let out a yawn causing everyone to chuckle.

"Troy, why don't you and Gabi go home? We'll stay and clean up." Lucille said to the tired couple. Troy agreed and took Gabriella to the car. When they got home both changed into their night clothes and lay down.

"Did you have fun?" Gabriella asked once they were snuggled up on the couch watching a movie.

"I did, you knew about this?" Troy asked. Gabriella giggled and nodded, yawing again.

"I love you Brie, forever and always." Troy whispered into Gabriella's hair. Gabriella kissed his hand and snuggled closer to him.

"I love you too soldier."

**Awh!(: Well here's the next chapter! It's a little longer!(: FINALLY! Reviews please! And maybe some ideas for next chappies?**

**If I get to at least 20 reviews I'll update soon!(;**

**-Shay!**


	3. AN sorry

**Just letting everyone know! We changed out pen name! **

**This is now both of our accounts! Shaylie and Daceey! **

**So, we hope you enjoy all of our oneshots and stories!**

**Also, we LOOOVE to read stories on here so if you want us to R&R (read and review) your stories, let us know! Thanks bunches!**

**-Shacey!**


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